THE NORTH ISLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 3882, 7 August 1928, Page 21

THE NORTH ISLAND.

(From Our Owx Correspondent.)

The whole of the North Island has enjoyed practically spring-like conditions during the past week, with perhaps the exception of Auckland province, where very heavy rain has again fallen. There is every indication of an early spring, and the young grass shooting through makes it appear as if there will be an abundance of feed.

TARANAKI AND WAIKATO. Taranaki and Waikato are the two rival districts in the North Island in regard to the production of dairy produce, and yet they both had different experiences during the past dairy season. Taranaki being more adversely affected by the summer drought than Waikato. / The annual meetings of dairy- companies show this. For example, we will take two meetings—Waitara-Taranaki Co. and Cambridge Dairy' Co. In the case of the former production results were down, when compared with the previous year, and the chairman was unable to congratulate shareholders when he met them last week. He first of all showed the big increase during the earlier months of the season, and then drew attention to the rapid decrease when the summer drought prevailed. For a number of years, he said, he had invariably been able to congratulate shareholders on having had a satisfactory season as regards output, but on the present occasion, owing to the very severe-' drought experienced,, he thought that to congratulate them that they were still oq their farms was tibout as far as he could go. It had been a disastrous season as regards output. He did not know of a factory that was hit harder as a result of the prolonged dry weather. The following figures comparing the season just past month by month with the previous season, were illuminating:— June, increase of 14531 b of butter; July, 42871 b; August, 45431 b: September, 10.276 xlb; October. 88421 b: November, 35231 b; and December, 45761 b. This represented to December a total increase of 16 tons 14cwt 921 b. Now mark the sudden decrease in-Januarv. 17.9401 b; February. 29,3261 b; March. 39.3421 b: April, 40,594 lb; and May, 29,6561 b, a decrease for the last five months of 70 tons and 581 b. thus leaving, a decrease for the year of 53 tons scwt 781 b. This decreased output had detrimentally affected the cost of manufacture per lb of butter,,as in many ways the expenses had been practically the same as last year, although less butter was being made. However, seeing that the price they had received had been something a little more than Id per lb butterfat better than the year before, and also that they had received during the year a considerable amount of back money on account of the previous .season, had helped them considerably to keep going. | As a very large quantity of top-dressing had been done and the cows had wintered ,well, and prospects as regards prices were very encouraging, they could, he thought, look forward with every confidence to the future.

Now we turn to the Cambridge Dairy Company, where the proceedings of the annual meeting were bright and animated, the happy, prosperous tone of the meeting being most marked as the result of the recovery of the company's financial affairs. In the course of a comprehensive • review of the season’s operations, the Chairman said that it was most gratifying that, despite the drought last season, production had been a record, .and he gave credit to the extensive use of fertilisers and herd-test : ng. Testing meant replacements, and he hoped the time, was not far distant when all replacements would come from th&ir own district. The chairman urged on suppliers to prepare for obstacles, such as drought, by the provision of supplementary crops. In view of the production last season he was satisfied that under ordinary conditions they would pass the three million butter-fat mark in the coming season. Indicating the progress of the company’of late years, the Chairman stated that since 1918 the company had doubled its production. Despite the fact that no butter was placed on the local market last year, their gradings were higher. Mr Anderson spoke at length o.n the application pf science in dairying and the need for encouraging greater efforts in this direction. He paid tribute to the good work of the Massey College and to the live interest by the Agricul-

tural Department. Apart ■ from these activities, he believed the time was not far distant when the larger companies would have to go in for small laboratories of their own. Mr Anderson also referred in appreciative terms to the interest of the. Taranaki Federation of Factories and to the value of the report recently issued by Mr Veale, of the Hawer.a Laboratory. MASTERTON SHOW. According to the annual report of the Masterton' Agricultural and Pastoral Association, the February show was the most successful ever held. The sheep entries constituted a record for Solway, there being 722,pens. The total entries were 2421, as against 2274 for 1927. The life membership reserve account now stands at £559. and the Post Office account is in credit to the extent of £284. The profit of the fixture was £lOB, as against £389 for 1927. The ram fair was held on the two days following the show, and was again largely attended by buyers from all parts of the Dominion. The profit was £lB6, as against £l3B in 1927. Subscriptions collected amount to £lOOl, as against £1074 for the previous year. The meinbershij) now' stands at 1247, as against 1258 last year. _ The total amount outstanding is £222. Some of this will require to be written off. This is proving a sei ions financial loss to the association, and members are appealed to to pay the amount in arrear when paying the current year s subscription.

RETURNS OF LIVE STOCK. The Agricultural Journal «n.>vides interim returns of live stock in the Dominion for the season 1927-28. which have been issued by the Census and Statistics office, these show the following position as regards the leading items (final figures tor 1926-27 being added in parentheses.): Dairy cows, 1.312,126 (1.303,225); total cattle, including dairv «>«'*• 3 - 202 - 724 (3,257.729); horses. ""?• 2 <303.713); pigs, 567.874 (.>_(). 143): sheep shorn. 24.500.731 (23.441.808); lambs tailed. 13.484.243 ( 12.069.681) : total sheep. April 30 19°8 27.901.238 (25,649,016). BONELESS VEAL. The Manawatu and West Coast Dairy Association has been giving special attention lately to the boneless veal industry question, and at a meeting a few days ago a contract for the killing and t reezmg , was granted to the Feilding Farmers Freezing Company’s works at Aoraitgi. The chairman, Mr J. D. Brown (Ohan). pointed out that at the annual meeting of the Levin Dairv Company the chairman had stated that‘lie had hail dealings with the Feilding scheme last year. Tie had received an advance of 4s and a final payment of 2s Id. making a total of 6s Id per calf. Surely the calves had been worth more than that since under the South Island Dairv Association’s scheme last year the net price to the farmer had been 9s. The chairman made it clear that it was only the fact that the N.D.A. were organising such a scheme that had prompted private enterprise to offer a flat rate of 9s per calf as against the 8s with bonus offered through the co-operative scheme. Had there been no co-operative scheme formulated by the N.D.A. the price offered would undoubtedly still have remained at 5s per head. The N.D.A. scheme, which was receiving the loyal support of every right-thinking dairyman, would undoubtedly prove of tremendous and lasting benefit to the farming community.

After some discussion the decision was made that 5s 6d be given for skins already in the possession of farmers. In a statement issued the followingessential facts are set forth:—• 1. I hat the scheme formulated by the National Dairy Association is the* only truly co-operative one. 2. That already the preparations have caused offers of from 6s to 9s from private enterprise. 3. That the collecting of calves has already commenced. 4. That there are only two grades of calves, the fit and the unfit. 5. I hose unfit will not be accepted at the freezing works, but the farmers can forward the skins through the accredited carriers, and will receive a flat rate of 5s 6d per skin. 6. The carriers will call two or three times a week. 7. All farmers in the Manawatu and Horowhenua districts are eligible for the benefits of this scheme. _ 3- is no understanding with the I'eliding Bacon Factory and the N.D.A. as to any area to which operations are to be restricted. 9. Tht number' will be reckoned up from the 25th of. each month, and the advance (8s) will be paid out on the 25th ot the following month by the N.D.A. respective collecting depots. 10. That after allowing for cartage, killing, and freezing charges, the bonus is expected to reach 2s. so that the net price per calf will be 10s. SALE OF JERSEY CATTLE: Good prices were paid for Jersey cattle last week, when part of the Jersey stud herd of the late Mr W. T. Williams, of Pukehou (Hawke’s Bay) was sold by public auction. Thirty-seven cows, eight heifers, and 12 yearling to three-year-old bulls came under the hammer. There was an excellent attendance of the public from all parts of the North Island, and competition was keen throughout. Among the offering was the famous cow Holly Oak Annie, which was purchased by Mr C. G. Dernier, of Cheltenham, Feilding district, for 400gns. The heifers made up to 70gns, and the bulls up to 105gns. It is interesting to. note in connection with Holly Oak Annie’s performances the cow was originally purchased by the late Mr Williams for 360gns, and 1. put up the great record with her of 10561 b butter-fat, and also won many championships with her. She is the most noted daughter of the great sire. Grannie’s Knight, and was in calf to the famous champion imported bull. Sybil’s Gamboge’s*Dreadnought. Mr Dernier already owns a son of Vivandiere, another of the 10001 b butter-fat cows of

the Jersey breed, and his purpose ultimately is to mate these two outstanding animals and thus combine the blood of the Dominion's two most noted champion butter-fat and show cows. In regard to other outstanding features of the sale, a two-year-old grandson of Holly Oak Annie realised lOOgns, and a daughter which was unfortunately a little lame sold for 75gns. The top price, apart from the champion cow, was 105gns, for a yearling bull sired by Sybil's Gamboge’s Dreadnought. This was the only son of the champion sire in the sale. The top priced female, apart from Holly Oak Annie, was the eight-year-old cow, Rcwa Amarion, bred by Mr W H. Booth, which realised 80gns. Rewa Amarion. who comes from a great show family, was sired by the champion Ironmaster of Meadowbrook. LOW AND HIGH TESTING MILK.

The recent deductions arrived at by Mr P. O. the Hawera scientist, as the outcome of experiments in relative values of low and high-testing milk for cheese making have caused quite a lot of discussion, and Jersey breeders are not altogether in accord with the report as may be imagined. At a meeting of the Rahotu Dairy Co. Mr Green, the chairman of directors and a prominent Taranaki breeder of Jerseys, said that a lot had been said in favour of lowtesting milk for cheese making, but with all due respect to Mr A eale he would prefer to obtain his information from Van Slyght. No doubt many would be pleased and many disappointed as the result of the.experiments, but Mr Green did not think they had been carried out under the best conditions, as the experiments made in America were. Mr Veale stated that milk testing 3.2 gave a yield of 2.831 b of cheese per pound of butterfat, while Jersey milk testing 5.7 yielded only 2.49 of cheese to each pound of butter-fat.

Mr Green did not know of any Jersey herd outside a pedigree herd, that averaged 5.7 test, nor did he know of any Friesian. Ayrshire, or Shorthorn herd that averaged as low as 3.2. He had been interested in Friesian herds for years, and they had averaged from 3.6 to 3.8. He thought, therefore, the results would have been more reliable if they were told the yield of Jersey milk testing, say, 3.7 to 4.0 and of Friesian testing 3.6. Mr Veale. as the result of his experiments, said that farmers must go in for lowtesting cows for cheese making, but he forgot to mention what was the moisture content of the cheese or what was its food vahie.- What was the food value of casein compared with fat? That was a most essential point. Mr Veale was also reported to have said that cheese could be made without butter-fat. but Mr Green asked if he could sell cheese that did not contain butter-fat. He was afraid Mr Veale, if he continued advocating breeding for low-testing cows, would become a menace to the industry instead of the blessing they had hoped for. If he had aimed at a reasonable thing—cows testing from, say, 3.6 to 4.5 —he would have been doing the industry a good turn. The speaker did not consider Mr Veale’s figures proved that the ideal cow waq the low-testing one —indeed, that rather went to prove that the high-testing cow was the one farmers should aim at. Cows testing 5.2 could have about 7s 6d worth of fat taken out of every 1001 b of milk and then leave 3.031 b solids not fat for cheese making, whereas the low testing cow could return only 4s 6d per 1001 b nf milk and leave 2.21 b of^ solids not fat for cheese making. Mr Veale had said they were sending away too much fat in their cheese, but Mr Green held that cheese should contain 35 per cent. fat. He agreed that it was not right that one section should benefit at the expense of another, and if there were any inequity it should be adjusted.. He had thought of going in for the casein test, but this had been proved to be too costly for the benefit derived. Mr Green went on to say that he had hoped to be able to arrange with the owners of three or four herds of low-testing cows to allow their milk to be manufactured throughout the year in one vat and.sent home and sold on its merits, the owners of those herds to be paid on the actual results. If such a test could be arranged the directors would give every assistance. ' There was not a herd along the coast that averaged 5.7 test, the average running from 3.8 to 4.1,

and Mr Veale was reported to have said that the best cheese was made from milk testing 4.0.

SUPERPHOSPHATE PRICES.

In the House of Representatives a few days ago Mr J. R. Hamilton. M.P. for Awarua, raised the question of the disparity in prices for superphosphates in North and South Islands, and as a result the Minister of Agriculture promised further inquiry into the matter. “The question of the disparity of superphosphate prices between the South Island and the North has on more than one occasion been investigated by the Government,'it being realised that it is highly desirable that South ' Island farmers should be enabled to purchase fertilisers to the best advantage,” said the Minister. -Tire information obtained is to the effect that in the south longer haulages, the cost of which has to be met largely by the manufacturers, and higher works cost consequent on smaller-scale production, necessitate a higher selling-price. The raw phosphate from Nauru and Ocean Islands is landed at the same price in the South Island as in the North. It may be pointed out that the present prie'e of 44-46 superphosphate at Auckland, New Plymouth, and Wanganui is £4 17s 6d per ton net, f.0.r., while at Hornby, Burnside, and Invercargill it is £5 15s per ton, less 5 per cent, discount for cash, f.0.r., the difference between North and South Island thus being Us 9d per ton when the discount is given. Having regard to the necessities of farmers and to the member’s request, the Government will institute further inquiries as to the present-day position.”